第十章 龍蝦四組舞

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But the snail replied "Too far, too far!" and gave a look askance—

‘太遠啦，太遠啦。’蝸牛斜了一眼回答。

Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance.

它說謝謝鱈魚，但它不愿把舞會參加。

Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance.

它不愿，它不能，它不愿，它不能，它不愿把舞會參加。

Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join the dance.

它不愿，它不能，它不愿，它不能，它不能把舞會參加。

'"What matters it how far we go?" his scaly friend replied.

它的有鱗的朋友回答：‘扔得遠又有什么相干？

"There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.

你要知道，在大海那邊，還有另一個海岸。

The further off from England the nearer is to France—

如果你更遠地離開英格蘭，就會更加接近法蘭西。

Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.

親愛的蝸牛，不要害怕，趕快去把舞會參加。

Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?

你不愿，你可要，你可愿，你可要，你可愿把舞會參加？

Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?"'

你不愿，你可要，你可愿，你可要，你可要把舞會參加？’”

'Thank you, it's a very interesting dance to watch,' said Alice, feeling very glad that it was over at last: 'and I do so like that curious song about the whiting!'

“謝謝你，我組舞真好玩，”愛麗絲說，她很高興它終于結束了，“我很喜歡這支奇怪的關于鱈魚的歌。”

'Oh, as to the whiting,' said the Mock Turtle, 'they—you've seen them, of course?'

素甲魚說：“哦，說到鱈魚，它們……你當然看見過它們啦？”

'Yes,' said Alice, 'I've often seen them at dinn—' she checked herself hastily.

“是的，”愛麗絲回答，“在飯……”，她想說在飯桌上，但是急忙停住了。

'I don't know where Dinn may be,' said the Mock Turtle, 'but if you've seen them so often, of course you know what they're like.'

“我不知道‘飯’是什么地方，”素甲魚說，“不過，如果你常常看見它們，你當然知道它們的樣子了。”

'I believe so,' Alice replied thoughtfully. 'They have their tails in their mouths—and they're all over crumbs.'

“我想我知道，”愛麗絲思索著說，“它們把尾巴彎到嘴里，身上撒滿了面包屑（這是西菜中燒好的鱈魚的樣子。）。”

'You're wrong about the crumbs,' said the Mock Turtle: 'crumbs would all wash off in the sea. But they HAVE their tails in their mouths; and the reason is—' here the Mock Turtle yawned and shut his eyes.—'Tell her about the reason and all that,' he said to the Gryphon.

“面包屑？你可說錯了！”素甲魚說，“海水會把面包屑沖掉的。不過它們倒真是把尾巴彎到嘴里的。這個緣故是……”說到這里，素甲魚打個哈欠，合上了眼。“告訴她這是什么緣故。”它對鷹頭獅說。

'The reason is,' said the Gryphon, 'that they WOULD go with the lobsters to the dance. So they got thrown out to sea. So they had to fall a long way. So they got their tails fast in their mouths. So they couldn't get them out again. That's all.'

鷹頭獅說，“這是因為它們同龍蝦一道參加舞會，于是，它們就從海里被扔出去了，于是，它們落得老遠，于是，它們就把尾巴塞到嘴里去了，于是，它們沒法把尾巴弄出來了。就是這些。”

'Thank you,' said Alice, 'it's very interesting. I never knew so much about a whiting before.'

“謝謝你，”愛麗絲說，“真有意思，我以前不知道這么多的關于鱈魚的故事。”

'I can tell you more than that, if you like,' said the Gryphon. 'Do you know why it's called a whiting?'

“如果你愿意，我還可以告訴你更多哩！”鷹頭獅說，“你知道為什么叫鱈魚嗎？”

'I never thought about it,' said Alice. 'Why?'

“我沒想過，”愛麗絲說，“為什么？”

'IT DOES THE BOOTS AND SHOES.' the Gryphon replied very solemnly.

“它是擦靴子和鞋子的。”鷹頭獅嚴肅地說。

Alice was thoroughly puzzled. 'Does the boots and shoes!' she repeated in a wondering tone.

愛麗絲感到迷惑不解。“擦靴子和鞋子？”她詫異地問。

'Why, what are YOUR shoes done with?' said the Gryphon. 'I mean, what makes them so shiny?'

“是的，你的鞋用什么擦的？”鷹頭獅說，“我的意思是，你用什么把鞋子擦得那么亮？”

Alice looked down at them, and considered a little before she gave her answer. 'They're done with blacking, I believe.'

愛麗絲看了下自己的鞋子，想了一下說：“我用的黑鞋油。”

'Boots and shoes under the sea,' the Gryphon went on in a deep voice, 'are done with a whiting. Now you know.'

“靴子和鞋子在海里，要白得發亮，”鷹頭獅說，“你知道，是用鱈魚的雪擦亮的。”

'And what are they made of?' Alice asked in a tone of great curiosity.

“鱈魚的雪是由什么做成的呢？”愛麗絲好奇地問。

'Soles and eels, of course,' the Gryphon replied rather impatiently: 'any shrimp could have told you that.'

“當然是鳊魚和鰻魚啦！”鷹頭獅很不耐煩地回答，“就是小蝦也會這樣告訴你的。”

'If I'd been the whiting,' said Alice, whose thoughts were still running on the song, 'I'd have said to the porpoise, "Keep back, please: we don't want YOU with us!"'

“如果我是鱈魚，”愛麗絲說，腦子里還想著那首歌，“我會對海豚說“遠一點，我們不要你同我們在一起！’”

'They were obliged to have him with them,' the Mock Turtle said: 'no wise fish would go anywhere without a porpoise.'

“它們不得不要海豚，”素甲魚說，“沒有一種聰明的魚外出旅行時，不要海豚的。”

'Wouldn't it really?' said Alice in a tone of great surprise.

“真的嗎？”愛麗絲驚奇地說。

'Of course not,' said the Mock Turtle: 'why, if a fish came to ME, and told me he was going a journey, I should say "With what porpoise?"'

“可不是，”素甲魚說，“如果有魚外出旅行，來告訴我，我就會說‘哪個海豚去’”

'Don't you mean "purpose"?' said Alice.

“你說什么‘孩童’？”愛麗絲說。

'I mean what I say,' the Mock Turtle replied in an offended tone. And the Gryphon added 'Come, let's hear some of YOUR adventures.'

“我知道我說的意思，”素甲魚生氣地回答。鷹頭獅接著說：“讓我們聽聽關于你的故事吧。”

'I could tell you my adventures—beginning from this morning,' said Alice a little timidly: 'but it's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.'

“我可以告訴你們我的故事——從今天早晨開始，”愛麗絲有點膽怯地說，“咱們不必從昨天開始，因為從那以后，我已經變成另一個人啦。”

'Explain all that,' said the Mock Turtle.

“你解釋解釋。”素甲魚說。

'No, no! The adventures first,' said the Gryphon in an impatient tone: 'explanations take such a dreadful time.'

“不，不！先講故事，后解釋。”鷹頭獅不耐煩地說，“解釋太耽誤功夫了。”